Anything Goes
by dark-angel-yuna
Summary: Yusuke Urameshi is called out again. This foe is very different from others before. But what if she's not acting of her own free will... Each lead gets the team deeper in a mystery that they must unravel, one thread at a time. chapter 4 up
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:  Hidey ho, all ye Yu Yu Hakusho fans!  It's DAY, your author here!  I was sitting, dreaming about Kurama, minding my own business, when *dum dum dum*  inspiration struck once again.  So, as I often do, I sat down and started writing.  Just so you know, I have no idea where this is going to go, but it's going to be one of those things that just turns out like it does… 

Okey, just so y'all know, this is my first Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic.  Just so you're all warned.  I don't really know all that much about the characters, so I will probably get stuff wrong…  Just correct me in a review or email, and everything will be all good.

Okie, since I know you're all dying to read this fic (probably not, but ya never know…) I shall stop rambling and get on with the fic!  Enjoy!  ^_^

Anything Goes 

****

****

Chapter 1 

"Where is he?"  Sayuri leaned back against the wall of the abandoned warehouse.  She kept her black leather trench coat pulled tight against her body, sheltering her somewhat from the cold.  Not that cold winds ever bothered her.  She kept her long, blonde braid tucked inside the coat.  One less distinguishing factor for her to be identified with.

She shifted her weight back and forth from foot to foot with nervousness.  He had never been late before.  But she wasn't exactly sure she wanted him to show.  It always seemed like she blacked out after their meeting, and she couldn't remember what had happened.  But still, if she didn't show…

A soft rustle to her right indicated the arrival of the person she had been waiting for.  A dark silhouette stepped out of the shadows.  He was tall with long black hair.  He hid his face behind a mask, and he was clothed in all black.

"It's about time you got here, Karasu.  You've never been late before."

Karasu didn't reply to the blonde's snap at him.  "As you may have guessed, I have another assignment for you."

He didn't say any more, but Sayuri's glare seethed hatred in every perceivable way.  Her mouth was a tight line of disgust, but she seemed to have no vocal objection to whatever Karasu was going to tell her to do.

"Ah, ah.  Don't forget what happens if you don't comply."  Karasu could see Sayuri's display of hatred, but wasn't particularly scared by it.  She was an admirable warrior, yes, but he had power over her.  Power that she was too weak to break.

"If you touch even a hair on her head, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you myself!" Sayuri cried.

Karasu smirked beneath his mask and slowly advanced on her.  "And what would you do if I touched _you_?"  He stopped when he was close enough to feel the heat from her body.  He saw her tense and almost laughed to see her squirm like that.  He reached out and tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear.

Sayuri averted her gaze from his eyes.  "What do you need me to do?" she whispered.  She hated herself every time she told him that, but what else could she do?  It wasn't just her life at stake.

"That's more like it."  Karasu waved his hand in front of her face, muttering something or other under his breath.  When he had finished chanting, Sayuri was standing up straight, almost as if held up by a puppeteer's strings, and her normally deep sapphire eyes were glazed and had taken on a milky white hue over the normal coloration.

"This is what I need you to do…"  Karasu leaned over and whispered the rest of her instructions in her ear.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Come back here Urameshi!  I'm gonna beat your ass good this time!"

Even four years after Yusuke was enlisted as a Spirit Detective, things are still the same between him and Kuwabara.  Now both seniors in high school, Kuwabara's favorite pastime is trying to beat Yusuke.  And Yusuke's favorite thing to do is royally kick his ass.

"You can't beat me Kuwabara, and you know it!  So don't even bother to try.  I'm not in a fighting mood today, so don't push me…"

Kuwabara ran to catch up to Yusuke.  "Don't just walk away, Urameshi!"

Yusuke did just that.

Swearing under his breath, Kuwabara yelled after him, "You just can't keep ignoring me, Urameshi!  I'll get you one of these days!"

Yusuke sighed, held his bag over his shoulder, and continued walking home.

When he stopped outside the door to his house, he was surprised to find a familiar young woman with long blue hair waiting outside.

"Yusuke!  I've been waiting forever for you!"

"Boton!  What are you doing here?"

"No time for small talk, Yusuke.  Koenma has a job for you."

"A job?  You mean, I get to be a Spirit Detective again?"

"I know it's been quiet for a while, Yusuke, but you've never really stopped being a Spirit Detective.  But this is an important case.  I hope you've still been training?"

Yusuke looked shocked at the idea of not training.  "Of course."

"Then you'll have to hurry.  You might need Kuwabara's help for this one.  This spirit awareness is one thing that you'll need.  This is no ordinary demon we're dealing with here!"

"Fine, you go get Kuwabara, and I'll get ready to go.  You can give us the briefing on the way, if it's so important."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"A case?"  Kuwabara wasn't sure if he had heard Boton right.

"Yes, and your help is needed.  Please, Kuwabara, we have to hurry!"

"But, but…what about Hiei and Kurama?" Kuwabara asked, confused, as he gathered what he needed.

"There's no time to get them.  Time is of the essence, and with every minute we wait, the trail grows colder."

"Right!  Let's go!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Boton had sped the two Spirit Detectives off to Koenma's without any delay.

"The problem is this, boys," Koenma started off.  "There's this demon on the loose.  The only problem is, she doesn't seem like a demon.  Her appearance is humanoid, and she appears to have no other form.  Her attacks utilize Spirit Energy, yet no true demon can use this energy.  We have concluded that she must have some Human blood in her to be able to use these kinds of attacks.

"Since she has Human blood, this makes her much harder to track than pure demons.  This is where your role comes in, Kuwabara.  I need you to get a lock on her energy pattern and track her with it."

"What did she do?" Yusuke asked.

"She stole these…" Koenma said, bringing up an image on the screen in front of them.  There was a pair of jeweled bangle bracelets on the screen.

"You mean all she stole was some crummy jewelry and we have to track her down?  Doesn't that sound like some police offer's work?" Yusuke protested.

"There aren't just any bracelets, Yusuke.  They are called Energy Enhancement Bracelets.  You know how much power you emit when you use your Spirit Gun technique, right?" Koenma asked.  "Now take that power, and multiply it by about ten, and you get the Spirit Gun with the Energy Enhancement Bracelets on."

"Whoa!  I see what you mean…" Yusuke conceded.

"So, she's a demon, but she's not a demon, and now she has these super bracelets that make her ten times more powerful?" Kuwabara asked.

"That's about the gist of it," Koenma confirmed.

"Right.  We're on it."  Yusuke was almost out the door before he heard Koenma's order to come back.

"Don't you want to know a little more about your enemy before you rush out there?"

"What else do you have, Koenma, sir?" Boton asked.

"There's not really much we know.  We don't even know her real name.  Here's an image of her."  He brought up the said image on the screen.  The woman in the picture was about 5' 7" tall, with deep sapphire eyes and blonde hair of indeterminable length hidden inside a black trench coat.  "We've called her Demon X, for lack of anything better."

"So what about her powers?  Strengths?  Weaknesses?" Yusuke asked, wanting to try and figure out how to beat her before it turned ugly.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" asked Koenma.

"Bad.  Might as well get the worst over with."

"Right.  She's a master of the sai, as well as being a Wind Master.  It is suspected that she is also a healer."

"A Wind Master, huh?" Yusuke said, remembering his fight against Jin in the Dark Tournament.  "Well, that's okay.  I've beaten one of those before."

"Don't underestimate her, Yusuke.  She's at least as fast as Hiei, as smart as Kurama, and much more powerful than Jin.  Here's your good news, though.  It seems that she's only used to fighting one on one.  If you and Kuwabara can get her so there's one on either side, you should have her beat.  But be careful of those bracelets, too.  I wouldn't want to be on the receiving side of one of her wind blasts boosted up to ten times normal strength."

"Right.  We'd best be going then.  Kuwabara?"

"Right.  Come on, Urameshi!  Let's go kick some demon ass!"

Author's Note:  Voila!  There ya have it!  Chapter One.  So, let's hear what you think about it.  Every single tiny little thing.  Oh, and if you're the kind that like cheesy cliffhangers, here's one for you…

What exactly is going on between Sayuri and Karasu?  Is Demon X truly who she seems to be?  What will happen when the Spirit Detectives catch up to this lethal demon?  All this and more in the next exciting episode of **Anything Goes**!!!

Okay, so maybe that was a little weird…  Oh well…

Please review and tell me what you think.  Your feedback is all I get.  You can say whatever you want.  I won't care.  But if you really want to flame me, please find at least one good thing to say.  Please…

If you want to talk to me about this fic, or just about anything in general, feel free to email me at drk_angl_yuna@hotmail.com

Sayonara,

dark-angel-yuna


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note:  Yessers, guys, chicas and other, I'm back!  I just had a vacation, and I can't write good battle scenes, so it took me a while to get this up, but I did, and it's finally here! 

Okies, now as for reviewer comments…  First of all, I'd like to thank y'all so much for reviewing!  *huggles all reviewers*  yeah, this is my first Yu Yu Hakusho fic, so I'm trying hard…  Oh, and DarkMoonGoddess…you don't _really _think that I'd leave out the two most kawaii guys in the whole series, would you?  No, I'm just biding my time.  Actually, Kurama (bless his sweet little foxy soul) makes a brief appearance in this chapter, and I think I'm going to get Hiei into the story next chapter.  If not chapter 3, then most definitely chapter 4.  ^_^

Chapter 2 

**_You must not let them catch you._**

"I must not let them catch me," whispered Demon X in a half-hearted monotone as she ran as fast as she could away from the scene of her crime.  Two silver, jeweled, bangle bracelets hung from her right wrist.

**_You must run faster.  They have the high powers on their side._**

"I must run faster."

The two Humans were getting closer.  She could feel their presence gaining on her.  She pressed her cardiovascular system beyond their normal limits.  But it didn't help. The Spirit Detectives were still catching up.  She didn't understand how they could do that, but she didn't have time to think about it.

It was hopeless.  They would catch her eventually.  Better to wait and have conserved more energy than to waste it in a futile attempt to escape.

**_Why did you stop?_**

"I cannot outrun them."  She said it with so much conviction that the voice in her head didn't bother to argue back.

Then you must defeat them.  But whatever you do, do not let them get the bracelets.  The whole of the plan will go to ruin if you do not get those bracelets back to me.  They are essential, more than your life is worth.

"More than my life is worth."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Kuwabara, are you sure we're going the right way?"  Yusuke was exasperated at have run so far so fast, and not finding their target yet.

"Don't sweat it, Urameshi.  I can feel her.  We're catching up.  I think she's getting tired.  She's slowing down."

"Are you sure she's the right one?  I can't feel a thing."  
  


Kuwabara sighed at his rival.  "It's not like this is easy, ya know.  But the trail we're following now is the only demon energy pattern I could pick up at all at the scene."

"Fine, so maybe she's ahead.  But I don't see anyone…  Wait, I take that back…"

Yusuke had just sighted a lone figure at the crest of the small hill in front of them.  A long black trench coat covered the figure's whole body, and a blonde head confirmed Yusuke's guess that this was the demon thief they were looking for.

"That's her," Kuwabara said, unnecessarily.

The figure stood still on top of the hill, locking the two teenagers into a staring contest as the started to walk up the hill to meet her.  As they reached the crest of the hill, Yusuke tried to find a way to get the bracelets without having the fight that, at the moment, seemed inevitable.  Not that he was one to back down from a fight, it was just that what Koenma had told him about this demon…it was a little frightening.  _Oh well,_ he thought.  _I've overcome the odds before, I can do it again, if need be._

"Who are you?" Yusuke asked, staring straight into her eyes.  He noticed that her eyes were, well…weird.  It seemed like they had been fogged over from the inside, a white haze covering the normal sapphire of her irises.

"**Who am I?  That is none of your business.**"  The young woman's voice sounded unnatural.  It seemed as if there were two voices, one male, one female, overlaid and speaking the same words.

"Those bracelets, what are they for?" Yusuke asked.

"**You know exactly what they are for, Spirit Detective.  That is why you are chasing after me to get them back.  However, I will not hand them over without a fight.  If you want them back, you must defeat me.**"

"Urameshi, there's something really, really wrong with her…" Kuwabara commented nervously.

"I know that, idiot."

"No, I mean, her energy's doing something funky.  It's like there are two energy patterns inside of her, the weaker one struggling against the stronger."

"And…?"  Yusuke was skeptical.

"It's really…I don't like it," Kuwabara finished lamely.

"Come on, Kuwabara.  It looks like she's asking for a fight.  We're going to have to give her one."  Yusuke started advancing menacingly on the demon thief.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Keep both of them in your sight.

"I must keep both in my sight."

**_Even without the kitsune with them, I dare not hope that these two have not grown stronger and smarter.  They will try to take advantage of your weakness.  I will stay with you until your wounds prove too much.  Then, you must run, and I will leave.  But you must _not_ let them catch you.  Fly, if you must…_**

"I must run.  They must not catch me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yusuke thought he heard the demon mutter something under her breath, apparently talking to no one.  He motioned for Kuwabara to go around to the demon's back with his Spirit Sword.

He knew that she had the upper hand, close range combat wise, as soon as she pulled two sai out of her trench coat.  Yusuke would make himself a distraction, attacking from the front while Kuwabara attacked her from the rear.  Most likely, she would assess him as the greater threat, and turn to try and get rid of him.  If Koenma was right about her experience of fighting surrounded, Yusuke would be able to fire his Spirit Gun into her back, most likely knocking her out of commission.  That was the plan, anyway…

Demon X waited for Yusuke to rush in with a punch before raising a sai to deftly block his attack, resulting in a gash across Yusuke's forearm.  Her dark blue eyes glinted in amusement as he came at her again and again in quick succession.  With lightening fast speed, she blocked every single punch with little to no effort at all.

"**I guess I was wrong.  You are still as weak as you were at the Dark Tournament.  Do you really think you can defeat me like that, weakling?**"

However, despite his badly cut arms, Yusuke was happy.  He had been pushing the demon back towards Kuwabara, who was gearing up for an all out attack.  It appeared that Koenma was right: she couldn't fight two people at once.  He smirked as Kuwabara ran in silently for his attack.

**_Watch your back, you fool!_**

****

Demon X whirled around just in time to see Kuwabara swing his Spirit Sword.  She tuck rolled, just soon enough to avoid a severed head, but she got a deep wound across her left upper arm instead.  The wound was bleeding profusely, much more than it should have.  As she came up out of the crouch she had landed in, Kuwabara came in with a huge overhead swing, intending to slice her right down the middle.  She threw up her sai, catching the blade of his Spirit Sword in the crosspieces of her sai, then she crossed the blades, effectively trapping his sword.

Yusuke took his cue.  "Spirit Gun!"

**_Idiot!_**

****

Demon X jumped.  The bullet of Spirit Energy missed her feet by mere inches.  Instead, the bullet headed straight for Kuwabara.

"Alright!"  Kuwabara seemed rather over-enthused for having a lethal bullet of Spirit Energy coming straight at him.  He took a huge swing at the bullet, Spirit Sword freed from its metal prison when the demon thief had jumped.  Sword connected with bullet as bat would a ball.  And sent the bullet crashing into the unsuspecting demon.

Demon X flew through the air with a cry of pain.  She landed facedown several feet away.  Yusuke looked over at Kuwabara and gave him the thumbs-up.  "Got her."  In his cockiness, he didn't see the demon struggle to her feet.

"**You'd be surprised, Urameshi.**"  She was bleeding from the sword wound on her left arm, the wound from the Spirit Gun bullet in her right shoulder, and a long gash across her forehead which she had acquired landing face first on the ground and sliding into a rather sharp rock.  It was obvious to the Spirit Detectives that she couldn't take much more.

In the second that the two teenage human took to look at each other, obviously stunned by this demon's resiliency, Demon X raised her arms to the heavens, closed her eyes, and summoned a massive gust of wind.  The wind knocked both the boys off their feet, and gave the demon enough time to levitate herself in the air.

"**Sayonara.**"  With that final parting word, she flew off into the distance.

When Yusuke put the events of the last few seconds together in his mind, he swore vilely.  "Hey, Kuwabara, I don't think Koenma's going to be too happy about this…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A certain kitsune was outside, giving an extraordinary amount of care while pruning the rose bushes on either side of the door to his small house.  He pushed a few strands of red hair out of his remarkably emerald green eyes before casting his gaze up to the sky.

"There seems to have been a sudden change in weather pattern."  In other words, there was a giant rain cloud headed his way.

"It appears that it is going to rain.  Perhaps I should head indoors."  No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, and he had taken cover from the rain, than it came, swift and vicious.

"My poor roses…I do hope that they will be able to survive the rain…" Kurama commented sadly as he looked out the window.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sayuri's breathing was harsh and heavy, her eyes starting to glaze over.  She had lost an amazing amount of blood.  She suddenly wished that she had applied herself more when her sister was trying to teach her the healing arts.  _Sis…_  The thought of her sister brought tears to Sayuri's eyes, mixing with the blood and rain already running down her face.  _Once I figure out what's going on, I swear I will kill Karasu…_  Her thoughts of revenge on the black-haired baddie lent her strength for a short amount of time, but there was always the thought niggling in the back of her mind:  If she didn't find someone soon, she'd die.  Then what good would she be to her sister?

Staggering through the rain and mud, Sayuri thought she saw something other than deserted fields in the distance.  Managing to walk closer, she made out the shape of a small house.  She knew that this house was her only chance for survival, she walked closer, step by painful step.  She noticed absently that there were rose bushes on either side of the door.  When she reached the door, she barely had enough strength left to ring the doorbell.  When the door was answered, Sayuri found herself facing a tall, almost femininely pretty man with captivatingly green eyes.

"Please…kind sir…" Sayuri managed to breathe before collapsing on the man's doorstep.

Author's Note:  There we go!  Chapter 2!  Whoo-hoo!  It took me long enough, though…  ;-;  Oh well.  So, did I do a good job of imitating Kurama speak?

Kurama:  I believe you did an admirable job.

DAY:  ^_^  Isn't that so kawaii?

Kurama:  *sighs*  Here we go again…

So…what's going on in this crazy story?  I'll give whoever guesses right first a tenner.  Not really…  I don't have that much money…  ;-;  But I will give the first person to guess right a big ol' hug!  That makes up for it, doesn't it?  Well…even if it doesn't, you can't blame me for trying…

Newayz, either way, do review and tell me what ya think, okies?  ^_^

Oh, one more thing…  Hatsuri Botosai has been talking up my fic, so I must return the favor.  It's a Gundam Wing fic called 'Incarnation.'  Very kewl fic, if I do say so myself.  So if any of y'all are GW fans, both me and Hatsuri will be very happy if ya head over to that story and check it out.  I believe it's on my fav stories list, if you're interested.

Well, gotta fly.  But one last comment before I go…  Don't expect the next update before August.  I'm going to Japan with Hatsuri and Amanda for ten days between now and then, and I have a couple other fics I want to update too…

Feel free to chat.  Email me at drk_angl_yuna@hotmail.com.  Toodles!  ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note:  *hides behind desk*  Sorry!  Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry , sorry!  I really am sorry it took so long to get this up…  I did want to have this up about a week ago…  Bad DAY, bad girlie…  Oh well, I guess y'all lived…  But I did make this chapter extra long to make up for it!  Guess what…  This chapter is as long as the other two put together!  Aren't y'all proud!  ^_^ 

Newayz, this chapter is mostly just development, and everyone understanding what exactly is going on…but still, it must be written.

Onto the fic!

Kurama:  *sighs*  Aren't you forgetting something…again?

DAY:  *thinks* … *light bulb*  Oh yeah!  Thanks for reminding me!  I forgot the Disclaimer…again.  Well, seeing as this much feature in the beginning of all stories, I guess I should get it over with…

**Disclaimer:  I don't own any of the Yu Yu Hakusho characters **(even though I wish I owned Kurama…^_^) ** but I _do_ own this plotline, plus all my OC's.  Let's see if I can name them all…  Sayuri, Kairi **(no, I just stole the name off of Kingdom Hearts, not the character; to tell you the truth, I want to shoot her…)**, Asashi, um…I think that's all.  But you know the drill.  If it looks or sounds familiar, I don't own it, even if I wish I did.**

Okay, now that's over with, I really **will** get on with the fic!  ^_^

Chapter 3 

Kurama caught the stranger as she passed out.  It was obvious that she needed help.  He couldn't just turn her away.  He gently lifted her and carried her into his house.  The fire crackled in the hearth, and Kurama could hear the whistle of the kettle on the stove, but that would have to wait.  He would do all he could for the mysterious young woman now.

He opened the door to the guest room with his back and gently laid the unconscious young woman on the bed.  He stripped off her black trench coat to reveal ripped and dirty jeans and a baggy T-shirt.  He pushed back her blonde hair, now matted with blood mixed with rainwater, to examine the gash across her forehead.  It was bleeding profusely, as all head wounds do, but it was shallow and would heal quickly with the proper dressing.  Next he looked at the wound he could see through a large rip in her T-shirt on her left arm, near the shoulder.  He pushed up the sleeve of the shirt so he could see it better.  It was long and deep, much more serious than the wound on her head.  He also saw a circular hole in her shirt, on her right shoulder.  The only way he could examine that wound was to take off her shirt.  He did so, though without alacrity.  He politely kept his eyes away from area that others might be prone to stare at, gently moving her bra strap so that he could see the wound better.  It appeared to be some sort of bullet hole, but not too serious within itself.

Wounds examined, Kurama prepared the herbal poultices he knew would heal her best and quickest.  He dressed her wounds, then put her shirt back on.  Patient safely cared for, Kurama sat back in a chair by the fire and pondered her situation.  The wound on her arm seemed suspiciously like a sword wound, and when he added the bullet hole in her shoulder, it made for a conclusion he didn't like.  What would she be doing fighting the other Spirit Detectives?  And if she was, why hadn't he been called in on the case?

He rubbed his temples, not wanting to think about the mystery that had just arrived in his house any longer.  After checking in on the young woman, he headed to his room, and drifted off to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"No!  Stop it!"  Kurama sat on the bed next to the young woman he had taken in two days ago.  She was dreaming, tossing, turning and mumbling in her sleep.  But the kitsune could understand every word.  "Don't touch me!  Get away!  I'll kill you!  I swear I'll kill you!"  Kurama bent over her, checking her temperature again.  No, she didn't have a fever…

Then, unexpectedly, the woman's eyes snapped open.  It took a second for her eyes to focus, but when she did, she found herself gazing directly into the kitsune's emerald green eyes.  She gasped softly.  She had never seen eyes like that before.  The intensity of their gaze took her breath away.

After a couple of seconds, she finally regained the ability to speak.  "Who…who are you?"

"My name is Suiichi Minamino."  His voice was soft and gentle, yet ran with hidden undertones that she couldn't quite put her finger on.  "May I ask yours?"

"Sayuri."  She took this opportunity to sit up on the bed, resting her back against the wall.

"Just Sayuri?"  Suiichi seemed genuinely interested in who she was.  _That's a first,_ Sayuri thought absently.  Her outward response was a slight nod of her head.  "Don't you want to take your father's name?"

Sayuri snorted slightly.  "Even if I could, I wouldn't."

Suiichi looked confused, but didn't ask any more questions about it.  Even if he did, Sayuri wouldn't have answered.  He wisely changed the subject.  Onto not-so-wise a topic.

"May I ask what you were dreaming about, Sayuri?"

Sayuri answered reluctantly, trying to choose her words well.  "A guy.  You wouldn't know him."

Suiichi flipped his long red hair back over his shoulder.  "Well, if I wouldn't know him, then is there harm in mentioning his name?"

Sayuri didn't understand why he was so determined to know about her dream, but she answered anyway.  "Karasu."  She shuddered as the name came out of her mouth.  She was surprised when Suiichi didn't respond.  She looked up to see him staring blankly at a wall, paler than usual.

"Suiichi?  You know him, don't you?"  His response was a slow nod.  Sayuri couldn't help but ask, "How?"

"I fought him."  His voice was barely audible.  "I thought I killed him…  That was four years ago.  Four years and many nightmares ago…"  It seemed like he was talking to himself more than to Sayuri.

There was a long and uncomfortable silence before Suiichi returned to the present from living some memory.  He smiled a kind, gentle smile, even if it was a little strained.  "Would you like something to eat?"  Before Sayuri could respond, her stomach growled so loud both of them heard it.  Suiichi chuckled.  "The bathroom's right across the hall.  I'll have some food ready when you've finished with your bath."  And with that, he left the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sayuri sighed as she slipped into the hot water of the bath.  It had been a long time since she had had a bath like this, a real bath.  Not some semblance of a shower in the rain, or a quick wash in a lake or river, but a real bath.  As she sat in the hot water, carefully keeping her bandages dry, her thoughts turned to other matters.

_How did I end up like this?_  She thought as she surveyed her wounds.  _It must have something to so with Karasu and whatever happens after our meetings.  I'll bet he sent me to get those bracelets._  She thought about the bracelets that she had found on her wrist after waking up, the ones that were now sitting nicely atop her pile of clothes.  _I wonder what they are, what they do, and why he wants them.  If he's willing to let me get away with them like this, instead of getting caught, or whatever was happening, then they must be important._

After a couple more minutes of pondering about what Karasu was up to this time, Sayuri couldn't fight the overwhelming urge to lie beneath the surface of the water.  She stripped off all the bandages, making sure the wounds were healed well enough to be under water.  As she unwrapped the bandage around her chest, she looked absently at the wound.  Then a thought hit her like a thunderbolt:  _How did he dress this?_  She hoped against hope that he didn't do anything…inappropriate.  He seemed like such a nice person.  But, then again…so had Karasu…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kurama was in the kitchen, fixing a light beef broth, something that he knew Sayuri would be able to handle.  After setting the broth on the stove to cook, he headed back to his room and took some clothes out of his closet.  He set them outside the bathroom door and called to Sayuri through the door.

"I've put some clothes you can borrow outside the door.  They will probably be a little big, but you can wear them until we get your clothes washed up properly."

There was no response.  Kurama hoped she had heard him as he walked away back over to the kitchen to check on the meal.

As he wandered absently around the kitchen until the broth cooked, his thoughts turned to Karasu of their own accord.

Karasu…  He can't truly be back, can he?  I thought I killed him…  No one could survive the Death Plant, could they?  But even if he did, what is his relationship with Sayuri?  Why was she having a dream…no, a nightmare…about him?  How can she have known him?  Karasu never tended to make himself known in the human realm, so why start now?

Then a little detail that he had half forgotten popped back into his mind.  _Her wounds…  They appear to be sword and bullet.  Spirit Sword and Spirit Gun bullet?  Possibly.  Who else uses a sword these days?  If she was apprehended by Yusuke and Kuwabara and assaulted like that…  One would assume she was the target of their case…  That would mean that she's a demon, and that would explain how she knows Karasu…_  Kurama shook his head as the pieces fell into place.  He didn't want to believe it, but it all made sense…

Suddenly, he heard a fizzing noise from the general area of the stove.  He looked over and saw that the broth had started to boil over the pot.  He immediately went over and turned down the heat.

"Suiichi?"  Kurama looked around the corner to the hall to see Sayuri standing there timidly, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt slightly too big for her.  Sunlight coming in through a window glinted off a pair of silver, jeweled bangle bracelets hanging off her right wrist.  He smiled kindly and waved her over.

"The broth is ready.  You must be very hungry."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There had been an uncomfortable silence between Kurama and Sayuri ever since they had sat down to eat.  Kurama was trying to figure out how to breach the subject of Karasu, and the fact that he suspected she was a demon, without insulting her.  Sayuri was thinking of the two bracelets on her wrist, which she had deducted were the things that Karasu sent her after, and why he wanted them.  Finally, both decided just to come out with it.

"How do you…?"

"Do you know…?"

They both spoke at the same time.  Sayuri fell silent and looked at Kurama to ask him to speak first.  He sighed before starting.

"How do you know Karasu?"

Sayuri tensed, and her eyes were filled with an intense hatred.  "I…well…he…"  She stopped for a moment, trying to figure out how to word it without giving too much away.  "He sends me on assignments for him."

Whatever Kurama had been expecting, that wasn't it.  His eyes widened slightly in shock.  He kept his eyes fixed on Sayuri's as he asked his next question.  "Are you aware that Karasu is a demon?"

It was Sayuri's turn to be shocked.  "How…how…how do you know about demons?" she stuttered.  It would be just her luck to stumble across a Spirit Detective now.

"Are you a demon?"

It seemed to Sayuri that her redheaded rescuer was just as much a good interrogator as he was a kind host.  "No!" she denied hotly.  But his green eyes were trained upon hers, compelling her to tell the truth.  "Maybe…kind of…"  She pulled her eyes away from his.  "Half," she finally conceded, and Kurama sensed that she was telling the truth.

There was something about her hiding the truth in such a matter that told him that there was a lot more to the story behind her and Karasu than a simple errand running assignment.  He wanted to find out more, but to do that, clearly he would need to gain her trust.  And to gain that trust he would have to give out just as much as he asked for.

"How do I know about demons, you ask?"  That was enough to get Sayuri's eyes to turn back to him once again.  "Because I am one…more or less…"  Her sapphire orbs widened, once again, in shock.  "My soul is a demon's soul, reborn into a human body.  Therefore, I am both human and demon, as are you."

"So…who are you?"  Sayuri asked tentatively.

"Here, in the Human world, I am Suiichi Minamino, as I have already told you.  But I am better known in the Demon world as Youko Kurama, infamous fox demon thief.  Please call me Kurama, as my friends do."

"Youko Kurama…"  Sayuri slumped forward onto the table as she murmured the name.  Even growing up in the human world, she had heard stories about the demon thief by that name.

Who would have thought that Suiichi Minamino could be the legendary thief Youko Kurama?  Wait…  Youko Kurama…  The infamous thief with a wealth of knowledge about all things rare…  Maybe he knows something about these bracelets…

Sayuri's head shot up off the table as she sat up straight, fueled by the knowledge that she might know what Karasu wanted with the pair of bracelets she had mysteriously acquired.

"Do you know what these are?"  Sayuri held out her right arm across the table for Kurama to see.

His eyebrows came together in confusion.  "Bracelets?" he answered, vaguely and uncertainly.

"No, I knew that already.  But…there must be something more to these bracelets than what meets the eye…"

"You mean," Kurama started in a questioning tone of voice, "that you have these bracelets, but you don't know what they do?  And why are you convinced that they are anything more than simple bracelets?"

Sayuri had become much more enthusiastic.  "Because Karasu wouldn't want them if they were ordinary bracelets," Sayuri explained patiently.

"So…Karasu send you to get these bracelets?"

"Exactly!"

"And where did you get them from?"

Sayuri's face fell, and a slight flush rose in her cheeks.  "That's the thing…" she started slowly.  "I don't remember…"

Kurama had started fitting pieces into place in his mind.  _Karasu sent her after the bracelets, which were guarded.  When she got past the guards and successfully away from the scene of the crime, Koenma sent Yusuke and Kuwabara after her.  That must be what happened!  Then she got away from Yusuke and managed to find her way here…_

"How did you get those wounds?"

Sayuri looked at the table sheepishly.  "I don't remember that either…"

"So these bracelets…Karasu wants them, and we don't know why.  You can't remember stealing them, or fighting with the Spirit Detectives.  Has this…"

"Wait!" Sayuri cried in a slightly strangled tone of voice.  "I fought…who?"

"The Spirit Detectives.  Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara."

"How do you know?"

Kurama ran a hand through his red hair.  "I am actually on very friendly terms with the Spirit Detectives, and assist them when my abilities are required.  The wounds you have sustained match their weapons and fighting style.  It was simple to put two and two together."

Sayuri looked horrified.  Her eyes were wide, and her face was pale.  "You're…you're a Spirit Detective?"

"When need be," the redhead replied.  It was then that he noticed the expression on Sayuri's face.  He chuckled softly.  "Don't worry," he said, reassuringly.  "I'm not going to arrest you.  I believe you weren't acting of your own free will."

"What evidence do you have?"

"Loss of memory, or gaps in your memory, to be more precise, is a common side effect of brain control."

"Brain control?"  Sayuri sounded desperate.

"Indeed," Kurama confirmed, his eyes boring into hers.

A quiet moan of despair escaped Sayuri's lips as she slid forward and started banging her head on the table.  Kurama tried not to laugh as the blonde teenager repeatedly hit the table.

"That's not going to help," he said softly.

"Well," Sayuri said while sitting back up, "it was worth a try."  She shrugged, and Kurama couldn't hide his laughter any more.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You did WHAT?"  A very angry, pacifier-sucking ruler of the Spirit World had jumped onto his desk.  "I sent you on that mission _days_ ago!"  He was currently yelling at two Spirit Detectives who had botched their last case.  "The least you could have done was come back and tell me AS SOON AS YOU BOTCHED IT UP!  Now that you waited for two days to come and tell me that you let her escape, the trail is cold again, and you'll have to find her all over.  That, or wait until she steals something else vital to the survival of all three worlds!"

"Hey!  Let's get this straight, pacifier breath!  We didn't _let_ her escape!  She ran away!" Yusuke protested heatedly.

"But the point is she got away.  And now you have to find her all over again.  Except, this time, she's had a two day head start."  Koenma shook his head.  "This time, Hiei and Kurama are coming with you.  You won't mess it up with them around.  Now go," the toddler ruler concluded wearily.  "Go get Hiei and Kurama, then try and hunt Demon X down."

"But…it's the middle of the night!"

"Fine, crybaby.  You can wait until morning.  You've waited for two days, after all."  Koenma sat back in his seat, still fuming.  "Oh, and Boton, if I catch you listening through closed doors again…"  He trailed off menacingly.

Yusuke and Kuwabara heard a squeak from the other side of the closed office door.  "Yes sir, Koenma, sir," came a soft, scared voice that they all identified as the bubbly Grim Reaper's.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"But, Suii…Kurama? Do you have any idea what these bracelets _do_?"  Sayuri had gotten over the shock of learning that her mind had been controlled by Karasu, and was now intent upon finding out the reason Karasu wanted the bracelets.  She held her right arm out to Kurama, so he could see the bracelets clearly.  He stared at the bracelets for a moment, concentrating.

"May I see one?  Their energy pattern is…different from anything I've ever encountered before…"  Hastily, Sayuri removed a bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Kurama.  He put it on his wrist and began to examine it.  Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he jumped up from his seat.

"What's wrong?  What is it?" Sayuri called in concern.

"These…"  Kurama's voice was trembling with some emotion Sayuri couldn't place.  "Are you going to give these to Karasu?"

Sayuri looked confusedly at the kitsune at his suddenly urgent tone of voice.  "Why?  Are they that important?"

"You don't know what these are, do you?"  Kurama's voice was deadly serious.  When Sayuri shook her head to affirm the negative, he sighed before explaining.  "These bracelets have exceptional ability to harness your Spirit Energy and multiply it, causing any techniques using Spirit Energy to be multiplies in power many times their normal strength."

"Gods…" Sayuri gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

Kurama sat back down, removed the bracelet from his wrist and returned it to the girl.  "I take it that means that you are aware of Karasu's special…talent."  He locked eyes with Sayuri.  "You must make sure that he _never_ gets ahold of those bracelets.  If he does, the entire world could be forfeit."

He stood up and started to leave, his intention being to give Sayuri some time to think.  But as he was about to exit the room, he turned to look at the girl one last time.  Her head was in her hands, and she was staring down at the table.  Her back was shaking slightly, almost as if she were crying, but the kitsune could see no tears coming from the half-demon's eyes.  He could hear her mumbling to herself.

"What am I supposed to do?  What the hell am I supposed to do?  Oh, sis…"

Kurama couldn't help but walk back over to Sayuri and place a comforting hand on her shoulder.  "If you're ever overwhelmed and need to talk, or if you require the assistance of the Spirit Detectives, you know where to come."

His tone of voice as much as his words made Sayuri turn her head to look at him.  The kind smile that graced his lips begged for some sort of response.  "Th…thank you, Su…Kurama."

She caught his gaze, his emerald eyes compelling her sapphire ones.  After a moment, she felt as if she were trapped in those green orbs, falling down into the depths of infinity…

Sayuri blinked, then shook her head and stared at the table again.  Without another word, Kurama turned around and headed out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If he wants these so bad, he'll be coming after me.  I can't hide from him forever…  But, I put those around me in danger.  I'm sorry…  I must go.  He'll track me down.  I don't want you involved.  I never thought I would find a friend here, someone else who knows the pain and torment Karasu can invoke with just a single touch…  I don't want him to find you…  I don't want him to kill you…my friend.  Farewell, kitsune…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kurama slept late the next morning, and expected to find Sayuri still asleep at the kitchen table, where he had left her the night before.  But it was only a minor shock for him to see the table empty.  He fried up some eggs and bacon, then went down the hall and knocked on the room that he had let Sayuri use.  When there was no response, he chuckled, thinking her still asleep in bed.  Yet, when he opened the door, he didn't expect what he saw.

The bed was empty, and still made.  It looked as if no one had slept in it that night.  Her clothes, freshly washed, had been taken off the chair where he had left them last night, and the clothes that he had lent her took their place.  But the thing that caught Kurama's eyes the most was a sheet of paper in the middle of the bed.

He picked it up, his eyes scanning the loopy, somewhat messy writing.

Thank you for all that you have done for me over the last couple of days.  You had no reason to help me, yet you did anyway.  Dare I say the infamous Youko Kurama is going soft?  Or is that Suiichi Minamino shining through?  Whatever the answer, your courtesy has given me many answers that I needed to know, and a direction to follow next.  But I must walk that path alone.  Karasu is after the bracelets, and after me.  The less people around me, the fewer I put in danger.  I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were killed just because you let me stay at your house.  Again, that you for all you've done.  It is very much appreciated, my friend.  Our paths will cross again.  Next time, I hope that our meeting will be happier.

Kurama clenched his fist, crumpling the note still in his hand.  "Stupid idiot.  He'll find her.  Better for us for him to find her with the Spirit Detectives protecting her, rather than her being alone."  He let out a deep breath.  "But there is no way I can find her…"  He looked out the window as if searching for the girl who had left his house in the middle of the night.  "Good luck, my friend.  I hope that the three worlds don't perish because of your mistake…"

Author's Note:  Well, there ya have it!  Chapter three!  Hope y'all enjoyed that!

*groans*  School starts tomorrow.  I don't wanna go to school…

Oh and one thing…  If y'all read Hatsuri Botosai's Yu Yu fics, well…we often share ideas and talk them through so that they'll conceivably work.  One reason why they might seem similar…

And if you haven't read, I suggest you do.

Newayz, must go.  I want to get this posted, then change my bio.  I'm ripping this idea off of Kaeru, if you don't mind, but I'm gonna put quotes from some of my fics in my bio, the real funny ones.

And please, don't forget to review on your way out!  Have a nice back to school time!  ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:  Well, my friends and faithful readers, it is that time again.  Yes indeed, I have updated this fic once again.  Yes, I know it took a long time, but I've been really busy with a lot of music stuff.  Like I had all-district band auditions today, and I only got the music three weeks ago.  Oh well.  Newayz, I guess it is time to answer all my lovely reviews. 

Sh…  Butterflygurl, nobody was supposed to know about that…   Oh well.  I still have Suffer at my house, ya know.  He's the most adorable little snakie.  I suppose I have to give him back?  *sniff*

Hola to Maya!  I believe this is the first time you've reviewed?  Please come back and review again!  :P

Cookie sheet?  That sounds good!  *materializes Kia's infamous cookie sheet*  Oh Karasu…  where are you?  *hides cookie sheet behind back*

Karasu:  Yes?  What do you want this time?

DAY:  I have a present for you.

Karasu:  o_O  A present?  For me?

DAY:  Yep!  ^_^  Close your eyes and hold out your hands.

Karasu:  Fine.  -_-

DAY:  *whaps with cookie sheet*

Karasu:  x_x   I'll get you back for that.

Well, now that I have a cookie sheet, that means that I can bake some now!  I'll get them ready while you guys read the chapter, and whoever reviews can have a cookie!  ^_^

Chapter 4 

It was late evening when Sayuri had finally reached her destination.  She stepped inside the doorway and closed the door silently, hoping that no one would notice her entering.  However, her hope was in vain, because as soon as she turned around to face the inside of the building, she was greeted with an angry face.  The teenager that faced her was shorter than Sayuri, with chocolate brown hair cut below her ears and deep brown eyes.  The shorter girl's hand shot out, and Sayuri stumbled back, caught off-guard by the force of the blow, and angry red mark coming up quickly on her cheek.

"Where the hell have you been?"  The girl's voice was low and angry, outraged.

"Thanks for the gracious welcome, Asashi," Sayuri returned sarcastically.  The two teens stared at each other for a moment, then Sayuri found herself caught up in a tight embrace.

"You worried the shit out of all of us, you know?  Do you know how hard it is to tell kids like Mari and Yuushi where you are all the time?"

Sayuri felt a twinge of guilt thinking about Mari, the sweet little six year old with white-blonde hair and the most adorable smile in the world, and Yuushi, tall for a twelve year old with jet black hair contrasting with icy blue eyes.  She and Asashi were the closest those two, and two other young children, had to a mother.  Mari was constantly worried if Sayuri would leave her, like her birth mother, and Yuushi had the unrelenting curiosity of a typical twelve year old boy, not worried if she would come back, but needing to know where she was, and why.  Once Sayuri had told him that there was a man she needed to see, and Yuushi had immediately responded by frowning and saying that if that man ever hurt her, that he would freeze him to death.  Indeed, Yuushi held great promise as a fighter, not only with his intelligence, mature for one his age, but for his promise working with ice.  One of his parents must have been an Ice Demon.

Before Sayuri could respond, something hit her full in the stomach with the force of a small missile.  She looked down to see the white-blonde head of Mari.  She smiled for the first time since Karasu had summoned her five days before, and swept the small girl into her arms.  There were tears in the girl's light green eyes.

"I thought you weren't coming back this time…"  Mari burst into tears and buried her head in the teenager's shoulders.  Sayuri tried to console her, shushing her and telling at she would never leave her.

"She always does that when you go.  I swear…" a boy's cynical voice trailed off suddenly.  Sayuri turned her head to see Yuushi standing against the doorway.  "That man…" he said slowly.  "He didn't do that to you, did he?"

Sayuri rocked Mari gently as she looked questioningly at Yuushi.  "Did what?"

"Your coat, dumbass.  What did he do to you?"  He reared up in anger, his pale skin almost glowing with a sort of zeal that he only had when it came to studies and protecting his surrogate family.

"Oh, this?" she asked questioningly, gesturing as best as she could to the rips in her trench coat.  "He didn't do that.  Don't worry.  I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, you know."  Yuushi's eyes narrowed.  It was obvious that he wasn't totally convinced with her answer.  It was then that the four heard the sound of crying from the adjoining room.

"Oh, it's just Paolo.  He must be hungry again.  I'll be right back after I've settled him down," Asashi said quickly before departing the room, leaving Sayuri with a still whimpering Mari and scrutinizing looks from Yuushi.

Mari looked up from her shoulder, wiped an arm across her face, and sniffed.  "When's Kairi gonna come back?  She promised she'd play with me again.  Where is she, and when is she gonna be back?"

A look of intense sorrow passed over Sayuri's face, as she opened her mouth to answer, but Mari found herself answered by a hiss from Yuushi.  "How many times have I told you not to mention Kairi in front of Sayuri?"

Tears welled again in the six-year-old's eyes, but before she could start crying again, Sayuri hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear.  "Don't worry.  Kairi'll be back soon.  I know she will."  She shot a sharp look at Yuushi before putting Mari gently back on the ground.  "You'd better get to sleep.  I promise I'll play with you tomorrow. Go on now."  She watched as Mari yawned, then walked sleepily into the room where Asashi had gone into to tend baby Paolo.  As soon as the girl was out of earshot she rounded on Yuushi.

"Why the hell did you tell her that?  She has just as much right as you to ask questions, probably more, what with your meddling all the time!"

Yuushi just stared at her with his icy eyes.  "Do I ever mention your sister in front of you?  I know how much pain it causes you.  You two are the only blood relatives here out of the seven of us, and I know exactly where she is, and why.  Why don't you just kill the bastard and get her back?"

Sayuri sank slowly to the ground.  "It's not that easy, Yuushi."

"Why do you all treat me like a child?  I know what's going on!  I want to help!  You think I don't want to bust up that bastard and get Kairi the hell out of there?  You're crazy if that's what you think!  You're strong, and Asahi's strong, and I'm getting stronger!  If we all take this guy together, we'll be able to punch his damn lights out before he knows what hit him!"  Yuushi burst out.  "Then we can take Kairi back and live like we were before," he finished quietly.

Sayuri sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.  Why didn't they just do that?  But she knew the answer before she finished asking herself the question.  Karasu was far too powerful, and she didn't want anyone to get hurt.  An idea was already circling in her head to get out of this predicament without causing any innocent blood to be shed.  "Go to bed, Yuushi, and I might tell you in the morning."

Yuushi let out a sigh of indignation, but turned on his heel and walked back to the room that the four youngest children shared.  Whatever the slim chances of Sayuri telling him, it was better than an outright 'no.'  So he decided to quit while he was ahead.

He didn't see the tears falling down the teenager's cheeks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Asashi, I need your help."  Sayuri rolled over on her futon and looked in Asashi's general direction.

"I assumed as much from that look on your face when you came in, and then how you talked to Yuushi.  He ain't a kid any longer.  He may only be twelve, but he's a hell of a lot more mature than we were when we were twelve.  Remember the time I dropped the water balloon full of flour, glue and feathers on Kairi's head?  But anyway, what do you need help with?  What's this Karasu guy done this time?"  Asashi replied, trying to keep the conversation light-hearted, but knowing before she even started that she was going to fail.

"Remember those bracelets I was wearing?"

"Oh, I wondered where those came from.  Pretty too.  I'll bet we could pawn them off for a large share of pretty pennies, eh?"

"They're powerful, Asashi.  Remember what I told you about him blowing things up, right?  If he had these bracelets, he could blow up probably the whole world with no effort."

"And that's not good, right?" Asashi said jokingly.

Sayuri scowled in the darkness.  "No, that's definitely not good.  But what I need you to do is hide them.  And you can't tell me where they are.  Don't tell anyone where they are.  Especially not me.  No matter what I say or what I do, don't tell me anything."

"Sayuri, that's pretty suspicious, you know…"  Asashi didn't sound so convinced.

Sayuri made her way through the dark and knelt next to Asashi.  "Please Asashi.  I…I can't do this by myself…"  Moonlight shone in through the window and glinted off wet streaks trailing down the older girl's cheeks.

"Fine, fine.  But this is gonna get us into big shit.  I can tell already."

"I hate to burst your bubble, Asashi, but we're already in big shit."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was the next day, when Asashi had gone to hide the bracelets that Sayuri got the message from Karasu that she knew was coming.  She was summoned to meet him at their usual place, in two hours.

Don't be late.

Sayuri had almost retorted that _he_ was the late one last time, but decided against it.

"Yuushi, you need to look after the kids now, okay.  Don't pull anything smart.  I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself, so don't mess it up, okay?"  She ruffled his dark hair and was rewarded with a rare smile.

"Just don't let that guy touch you, okay?"  Yuushi sounded concerned.

Sayuri winked and gave him a thumbs-up on the way out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Asashi walked back into their small house, wanting to just sit down with Sayuri over a cup on tea and talk about the whole problem.  Sure, she had heard bits and pieces, but not really enough to piece together what exactly was going on.  She was rather surprised when Sayuri wasn't home.

"Hey, Yuushi, where's Sayuri?" she asked the boy.

He poked his head out from around the corner of the small bedroom where he was playing with Mari while rocking Paolo gently.  "She went to meet that guy again."  He saw a light of disbelief and anger cross her face.  "Don't even try it.  You know how many times I tried to track her to where that creep was meeting her?  There's no way you'll find her."

Asashi swore loudly and violently, realizing that Yuushi was right, and there wasn't anything she could do except keep the secret of where she hid the bracelets.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, midget!  Where the hell are you?"  Yusuke and Kuwabara had been looking for Hiei for the last day and a half.  Apparently, Koenma didn't think it necessary to contact him first, even knowing about the demon's habit of wandering erratically during his off time.  Currently, they were wandering around of the fire demon's favorite forests to train in.  Still having no luck, Yusuke had a rare stroke of genius.

"You know what, Kuwabara, I'll bet Kurama would know where he is!  We have to go get him anyway, so why not go and see him now."

"Good plan, Urameshi!  I'm glad I thought of it!" Kuwabara replied.

Yusuke buried his face in his hands as Kuwabara led the way to Kurama's house, head raised high in triumph.  He remembered well enough what happened last time Kuwabara had led an expedition like this one…but as much as he tried, he couldn't block it out of his memory.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was a tall figure swathed in black leaning against the wall of the warehouse when Sayuri got there.  He turned his head to look at her, and she was pierced to the core by his violet eyes.

"It's about time you got here."

Sayuri backed against a wall as he came closer.  She held her silence as he gently raised his hand to caress her face.  She closed her eyes against his touch, fingers cold as ice.  "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't come," he whispered seductively.

Sayuri swallowed and tried to ignore her racing heart.  "Look at me," he whispered.  It took all of Sayuri's will to squeeze her eyes shut even harder.  He chuckled softly.  "Come, come.  Don't be like that.  Look at me."  He leaned closer, and Sayuri could feel his breath warm against her face.  Her eyes fluttered open against her will, and at once she stood transfixed by his amethyst gaze.

They stood like that for a moment, her back against a wall, their bodies close, his fingers resting against her cheek, faces close enough for her to feel his exhalations, staring deep into each other's eyes.  Despite all the hate and rage she felt towards the man, it took all she had not to give into him.  He had definitely mastered the art of seduction.

It was he who broke the silence.  "You look just like her," he breathed.  Sayuri could hardly hear what he said, and she couldn't help but ask the next inevitable question.

"Like who?"

Karasu turned away, the spell broken.  "Never mind."  Unexpectedly, he whirled back around to face her.  "Where are they?"

Sayuri's answer was curt.  "I don't know."

His handsome features contorted with rage.  "Don't lie to me!  Where are they?"

Sayuri didn't waver.  "I don't you the truth.  I don't know."

In two long strides, he was back, closer than he was before, but Sayuri also found his hand twisted in her shirt and coat, brute strength lifting her bodily off the ground.  Her feet dangled a good four inches off the ground.  "Tell me."  His voice was scarce more than a feral growl.

She had a hard time hiding the terror from her voice.  Even so, she couldn't hide it all from the perceptive man.  "I honestly don't know!"

He scanned her face, looking for one of the signs of a lie, but couldn't find one.  The thought entered his mind that she might be telling the truth.  But if she didn't know where the bracelets were, then someone close to her must.  Surely she had figured out what the bracelets were, and what he intended to do with them.  "Then who does?"  The teenager kept a stoic silence.  "You realize I'm running out of options.  I'm going to get this information from you, one way or another.  I don't want to resort to unpleasant means…"  His voice trailed off menacingly.  Still she stayed silent.  "Fine, if that's the way you want it…"

Sayuri screamed in pain as a probe attacked her mind, hard and unrelenting, bearing the unmistakable print of Karasu.  It had only one point: to figure out who had the bracelets.  At the moment, he was so angry that he didn't care if he destroyed her mind, shattered her sanity.  She frantically put up the mental blocks she had been working so hard on, but Karasu's malevolent probe crashed through them in an instant, tearing apart her consciousness one step at a time.  She couldn't give in, wouldn't.  But then Karasu fed her an image of her sister how she was right now.  Sayuri saw her, the fifteen-year-old girl sitting in darkness, her long blonde hair dirty and matted, her intensely violet eyes uncharacteristically dull.  That was when she faltered.  Not just because of the torment her sister was in – Kairi was strong, she could endure that – but the fact that she hadn't realized until now how much Kairi's eyes looked like Karasu's.  She only faltered for a matter of seconds, but it was those seconds Karasu needed.  While she had let her guard down, he had gathered what he needed, images of the people closest to the teen: Asashi, Yuushi, Mari, Paolo, and Ishta.  The last three were too young to know anything relevant, but the others…

At last, Karasu withdrew his probe.  Sayuri sagged in his grasp, exhausted by the ordeal of trying to fight him off.  He took this opportunity to mutter the spell to take control of her mind.  He would rather have her get the bracelets without him having to reveal himself to the world.  He had hidden this long, he didn't intend on ruining it now…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Asashi opened the door when she heard someone knock.  A very disheveled looking Sayuri was standing in the doorway.  "Why did you go off again?  You were worrying the hell out of all of us!"  When Sayuri didn't respond, Asashi raised her hand to slap her, much as she had the day before.  However, her hand never made contact with the taller girl's face.  Sayuri had grabber her wrist and was holding her hand in an iron grip, not even an inch away from her face.

It was then that Asashi saw her eyes.  They weren't their normal deep blue.  They looked distant, and somehow clouded over.  Asashi realized for the first time why Sayuri told her to keep the location of the bracelets secret.  And she knew something was terribly wrong.

Asashi looked around desperately for Yuushi.  He saw his face poke around the corner of the door into the bedroom.  When their eyes met, Yuushi saw the desperate message to hide, and ran back into the bedroom.

"**Where are they?**"  Sayuri's voice didn't sound like her own.

"Where are what?"

"**Don't lie to me, insignificant fool!  You know where they are.  Tell me.**"

Asashi wasn't fazed.  "Never."  Her reply was soft, yet intense, hatred bubbling over the entire word.  She spat in Sayuri's face.

Left hand still holding Asashi's right, spit dripping slowly down her face, Sayuri reached into her trench coat with her right hand, and pulled out one of her sai.  In a lightening-fast movement, the pommel of the sai crashed against the side of Asashi's skull, deliberately placed where the wound wouldn't knock her unconscious.  Asashi sagged in Sayuri's grip until she flung the girl aside.  She then crossed into the bedroom where the smaller children were.

Mari looked up from her game when she saw Sayuri.  She jumped up and ran to hug her.  But before she could so much as lay a hand on her, Sayuri's twin sai flashed.  Twin red streaks started to soak the chest of the six-year-old.  Paolo and Ishta started crying.  Their crying was soon silenced as violently as Mari's laughter.

Sayuri returned to Asashi.  She picked up the smaller girl by the front of her shirt and drug her into the bedroom.

"**Where are they?  They suffered this fate because of you.  If you don't tell me, many more will suffer in this manner.  And if you even think to lie…  You know that I hold Kairi's life in my hands.  She will die a much slower, more painful death than any of these here.  And she will only be the first.  Will you reconsider?  Will you tell me?**"

Sayuri looked at Asashi, waiting for her to respond.  Asashi wiped the trail of blood of the side of her face, and looked defiantly into deep sapphire eyes.  "No."

Sayuri let out a scream of rage, and attacked Asashi, letting her rage get the better of her.  When she was finished, her sai were red instead of silver.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sayuri felt the grip of Karasu's mind leave her, and as she looked around, her mind reeled.  The room spun, and she fell to her knees as she emptied the contents of her stomach.

"What have I done?  Oh Gods, what have I done?" she murmured over and over, repeating the words in a useless cycle that did nothing to help her.

She forced herself to look up, to survey the enormity of what she had done.  Mari's chest had been sliced open by twin sai.  Her twin sai.  Paolo and Ishta's throats had been slit.  Asashi had numerous wounds all over her body.

Sayuri saw Asashi's chest rise ever so slightly.  She was still breathing.  She was still alive.  She might be able to save her.  She knew that her healing skills were nothing near what was needed to repair the damage before her friend died.  There was only one person she knew who had the necessary skills.  The only one who would listen to what she had done, and who would be able to understand.  The only one who had ever shown her kindness before…

Before she thought about it another second, she gently picked up her friend's body and walked out the door.  Once outside, she took flight, seeking the way to his house faster than she had ever flown before.

Please my friend…  Please be able to help…  Help her…  Help me… 

Author's Note:  Evil Karasu is at it again!  What do you think?  Is Asashi going to die?  Does that mean the secret of the bracelet dies with her?  And what about Sayuri?  Is she going to have an emotional breakdown after killing her surrogate family?  When is Karasu going to come out in the open?  Will he ever find those bracelets?  Will he blow up the world?  Why would he want to blow up the world?  What was with him trying to seduce Sayuri?  Will these questions never end?  All these answers and more in the next installment of Anything Goes!

Cookies anyone?


End file.
